Smidgen Podcast Episode 001: Tastes Like Chicken
What can I do to make boneless, skinless chicken breasts taste better? It’s the number one question we hear in the store, day in, day out. It made sense to make it the topic of our very first podcast episode. Our shop stocks thousands of spices, blends, oils and balsamics on the shelves, so we are well-equipped to answer the question. But we wanted to go deeper in this episode. We wanted to find out how consumers have come to prefer this particular packaged poultry. We decided to ask Galen Iverstine or Iverstine Farms Butcher—Baton Rouge’s premier local butcher—about this very popular cut and what we can do (or not do) in order to get full flavor and bang for our buck. We love Galen’s approach to ranching and butchering. His insight broadened our perspective for buying local and what it really means for a foodway to be sustainable.
After talking with Galen, we head over to the Red Stick Spice test kitchen with store staffer Madeline to cook up a spicy Peruvian Spatchcock Chicken with Cilantro Sauce. Among other things, Anne shares her memories of her Catholic upbringing and Pagan babies, declares herself Team Cilantro and ties it all into the oh-so delicious spatchcock chicken and creamy cilantro sauce.
Before you watch, print our shopping list for the recipes we'll be whipping up.
Here’s a list of the links we mentioned in the podcast:
- Galen and Anne talked about the books Omnivore’s Dilemma and Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. Both are great reads if you’re interested in changes to our foodways and the farm-to-fork movement.
- Visit Iverstine Farms online and be sure to check out their Butcher Bundles—the “meat subscription” Anne talks about and recommends for pastured raised beef, pork and chicken delivered right to your door. Visit Iverstine's on Facebook at Iverstine Family Farms & Instagram @iverstinefarms
- Anne & Madeline cooked up Peruvian Spiced Spatchcock Chicken with cool Creamy Cilantro Sauce. We used our Peruvian Chicken Blend on the chicken for smoked tomato flavor with a little heat. We cranked up the heat to roast the chicken, so we used Pointe Coupee Pecan Oil because of its high smoke point and delicious flavor. Our Cilantro Lime Extra Virgin Olive Oil went into the cilantro sauce and is Anne’s go-to for summertime grilling.
- Join us on an upcoming Farm, Food & Cooking Tour which includes a behind-the-scenes look at Iverstine Farms Butcher shop. Big fun filled with important info and delicious bites.
WHERE TO LISTEN TO SMIDGEN:
Listen to Smidgen on the podcast player above or on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, or your favorite podcast app.
Smidgen Launches June 13
Somewhere between a pinch and a dash is a smidgen, and when it comes to cooking, a smidgen can make all the difference. Introducing Smidgen, the podcast of Red Stick Spice Company. Host Anne Milneck is a chef, head "spice girl" at Red Stick Spice Company, and a tireless champion of home cooks everywhere. Smidgen features some of the most interesting people in the food world plus real world cooking segments recorded right from the Red Stick Spice Co. Teaching Kitchen.
Season One of Smidgen launches June 13. Subscribe now on your favorite podcast app.
